Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything(36)

The Recipe for Tiny Habits


At this point in the Tiny Habits design process, you have identified at least one new habit you want in your life. You’ve matched yourself, you’ve shrunk those behaviors to make them easy to do, and now you’re going to add a prompt. After you finish this chapter, you’ll have what you need to create a full Tiny Habit Recipe that looks like this.

After I (ANCHOR), I will (NEW HABIT).



After I flush the toilet, I will do two push-ups.



After I pull the car over, I will write down the most important task of the day.



After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth.





Finding the right sequence and fit for your new habits takes a little tinkering, but it’s ultimately pretty straightforward. If you want to see a long list of sample recipes, check out the appendix where I share three hundred recipes for Tiny Habits.





Identify Your Anchors


Your Anchor must be something that happens reliably in your life. Some of us lead very scheduled lives that are filled with reliable routines. Other lives are more unpredictable. No matter how haphazard your day might seem, I guarantee that you already have many routines that occur consistently enough to be used as an Anchor. In the research I did a few years before creating the Tiny Habits method, I found that people typically have the most routines in the morning. This makes morning fertile soil for cultivating new habits.

People reported that their routines can easily go awry as the day progresses. And once one routine breaks down, then other routines do, too: Daycare pick-up gets pushed back because of a late meeting. You grab a pizza rather than cook dinner because you’re late and exhausted from a trying day. Stuff happens.

So morning is likely our most predictable time, but there is plenty to work with in the afternoon and evening. Here are some examples of common anchors at different times.





Morning routines


After my feet hit the ground in the morning, I will . . .



After I sit up in bed, I will . . .



After I turn off my alarm, I will . . .



After I pee, I will . . .



After I flush the toilet, I will . . .



After I turn on the shower, I will . . .



After I brush my teeth, I will . . .



After I brush my hair, I will . . .



After I make my bed, I will . . .



After I tie my shoes, I will . . .



After I start the coffee maker, I will . . .



After I pour myself a cup of coffee, I will . . .



After I put my dish in the dishwasher, I will . . .



After I feed the dog, I will . . .



After I put the key in the ignition of my car, I will . . .





Midday (or anytime) routines


After I hear my phone ring, I will . . .



After I hang up the phone, I will . . .



After I drink a cup of coffee, I will . . .



After I empty my inbox, I will . . .



After I use the bathroom, I will . . .





Evening routines


After I walk in the door after work, I will . . .



After I hang up my keys, I will . . .



After I put down my purse, I will . . .



After I hang up the dog leash, I will . . .



After I sit down to eat, I will . . .



After I put my dinner dish in the dishwasher, I will . . .



After I start the dishwasher, I will . . .



After I turn off the TV, I will . . .



After I put my head on my pillow, I will . . .





You can see more examples of Anchors in the appendix where I list three hundred sample recipes for Tiny Habits.



You’ll notice that all these examples are precise events. A fuzzy Anchor (“after dinner” or “whenever I feel stress”) doesn’t work. Make them precise. One good way to think about Anchors is to call them Anchor Moments, which implies a precise moment in time.

Now that you’ve got the gist, make a list of unique-to-you Anchors using the Tiny Exercise at the end of this chapter.



Once you have a collection of Anchors to choose from, look closely at the new habits you want to cultivate so you can pair your new habit with the best Anchor.





WHERE CAN THIS NEW HABIT FIT NATURALLY INTO MY DAY?


In teaching thousands of people how to find good Anchors for their new habits, I’ve learned that you should take three things into account.





Match the physical location


First, consider the physical location of your new habit. Find an Anchor you already do in that location. If the new habit you want is wiping down the kitchen table, look for an existing routine in the kitchen. That could be your Anchor. You want to avoid having the Anchor happen in one location and the new habit in another. My research shows that this rarely works. Location is the most important factor when you pair Anchors and new habits.